Paul Quarrington
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Paul Lewis Quarrington (born July 22, 1953) is a Canadian novelist, playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker and musician. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he grew up in the suburb of Don Mills and studied at the University of Toronto, although he failed to graduate.
Quarrington wrote his early novels while working as the bass player for the group Joe Hall and the Continental Drift. His most successful novel to date, Whale Music was called "the greatest rock'n'roll novel ever written" by Penthouse magazine. Quarrington's novels are characterized by their humour (King Leary received the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour in 1990) although they address serious subjects. His heroes are largely emotionally crippled and have withdrawn from society; typically, in Quarrington's work, an agent of some sort (a young woman in Whale Music, ghosts in King Leary) draws them back into the fold of humanity. Quarrington's most recent novel, Galveston (published in the United States as "Storm Chasers") was nominated for the prestigious Giller Prize. He lost to Alice Munro which, Quarrington stated afterward, "was hard to feel upset about. It's like losing to Chekhov." His novel The Ravine will be published in 2008.
Quarrington's adaptation (with director Richard J. Lewis) of Whale Music was nominated for many Genie Awards, Canada's version of the Academy Award. (Actor Maury Chaykin best actor for his portrayal of the drug-addled Desmond Howl.) The screenplay for Perfectly Normal, a comedy that combined hockey and grand opera, won the award. Quarrington has also worked in the television industry, acting as writer and/or producer on such shows as Due South, Power Play, and most recently, the Showcase comedy Moose TV."
Quarrington's work for the stage includes "Dying is Easy," "The Invention of Poetry" and "Three Ways From Sunday."
Quarrington is also the singer/guitarist for the blues/roots/country ensemble Porkbelly Futures. Their first CD, "Way Past Midnight" was released in late 2005 by Wildflower Records (owned by singer Judy Collins) and spent six months on the "Americana" charts. The group is in the process of recording its second CD, which features many of Quarrington's original songs.
Contents |
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Novels
- The Service - 1978
- Home Game - 1983
- The Life of Hope - 1985
- King Leary - 1987 (winner of the 1988 Stephen Leacock Award)
- Whale Music - 1989 (winner of the 1989 Governor General's Award for Fiction)
- Logan in Overtime - 1990
- Civilization - 1994
- The Spirit Cabinet - 1999
- Galveston - 2004
- The Ravine (novel) 2008
[edit] Non-Fiction
- Hometown Heroes: On the Road with Canada's National Hockey Team - 1988
- Fishing with my Old Guy - 1995
- The Boy on the Back of the Turtle - 1997
- Fishing for Brookies, Browns and Bows: The Old Guy's Complete Guide to Catching Trout - 2001
- From the Far Side of the River - 2003
[edit] Drama
- The Invention of Poetry - 1990
- Closing Time ({1996])
- Dying is Easy([1997])
- Heart in a Bottle ([2001])
- Three Ways from Sunday ([2007])
